Package wrapper



Oct. 31, 1950 J ROUSH 2,527,685

' PACKAGE WRAPPER Filed Sept. s, 1946 Y I g 3 mam/tom x 26 7 w E Q Patented Oct- 31, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,527,685 I I I PACKAGE WRAPPER John H. Roush, Johnson County, Kans.

Application September 6, 1946, Serial No. 695,107

1 Claim. ((1229-40) This invention relates to detachable outer coverings for packages and particularly to wrappers adapted to completely envelop books, papers and 'magazines or the like to protect the same during transportation or storage and to render the package suitable and convenient for such handling.

Many articles requiring shipment from the source of manufacture and other excess handling, need to be provided with a protective covering, but it has heretofore been difficult to design a wrapper that combines all the features of being inexpensive to create, capable of containing more than one article of a predetermined size, adaptable to completely enclose the same in a compact package, and yet be durable, simple to form, and easy to apply.

The package wrapper forming a part of this invention incorporates all the aforesaid features and has for its primary object the provision of a wrapper having portions forming side, end, top and bottom walls thereof, including a number of flaps foldable in overlapped relation to form the top wall thereof, and provided with gussets joining the flaps for presenting a continuous tab covering for the corners of the package when the wrapper is in the package-embracing position.

Other objects of this invention are to provide in a package wrapper having the aforesaid gussets as a part thereof, an unique design thereof whereby the said flaps form the side and end walls and the gussets cooperate therewith to present a wrapper capable of accommodating one or more of a predetermined number of articles; forming the gussets so as to assure complete protection regardless of the number of articles placed therein; and the disposition of adhesive on one of the flaps so as to permit quick and easy opening either for inspection of the package or final detaching.

Minor objects of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the package wrapper in package-enclosing position; and

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the wrapper blank with dotted lines setting off certain portions thereof and stippled portions indicating gummed areas thereon.

In the form of the package Wrapper chosen for illustration, the numeral I6 designates generally a blank stamped from plain or decorative paper stock, or other suitable wrapping material, having a polygonal body portion I2 and number of cover flaps I4, IE, IS and 20. The outline of the magazine or other article to be covered by the wrapper is diagrammatically illustrated inFig. 2 by dotted lines 22, the area defined thereby being the size and shape of one wall or portion I2 of the wrapper. l

The flaps I8 and.26 extend from the opposed longitudinal edges of theportion I2 to form the side walls 24 of the wrapper as well as a part of to the flaps I4 and I6 adjacent each of the fourcorners respectively of wall I2. 7

These gussets 28 are triangular-shaped and the: two sides thereof, indicated by broken lines 21 in Fig. 2, are appreciably longer than the width of either of the side walls 24 or the end walls 26. The third, outermost side'of. the gussets 28 extend between the proximal flaps of the covering. Therefore, when the wrapper is folded to the condition" shown in Fig. 1, these gussets 28 present a continuous covering for the package at its corners. Since no lines of fold are provided throughout the entire blank I6, the flaps I4, I6, I8 and 26, and the gussets 28 will form to the contour of the article covered, and the excess material forming gussets 2.8 can be folded under the flaps before finally securing the same in a closed condition. When thicker packages or more than one package is to be covered, the flaps I4, I6, I8, and 29 will be of sufficient size to permit an increase in the size of walls 24 and 26 over that outlined by lines 22 and 25 in Fig. 2, and the gussets 28, by the same token, will still be large enough to completely cover the package.

A coating of adhesive 36 is placed along two marginal edgesof the flap 26 to secure the same to the flaps I4 and I8 when the flaps are folded in the over-lapped condition illustrated in Fig. 1, and a spot of adhesive 32 near another marginal edge of fiap 26 serves to secure the same to the flap I6. The purpose of the non-adhesive area along this last marginal edge of flap 2!] is to present an opening between flap 20 and flap I6 to permit postal authorities to breakopen seal 32 to inspect the contents of the wrapper when such is required, and further to facilitate opening the wrapper to remove the contents after pulling flap I6 outwardly. It is notable that flap 20 extends over the flaps I4, I6 and I8 an appreciable distance to assure that it will still reach these flaps when more than one article is to be covered, and when the amount of the flaps needed for the side walls 24 and end walls 26 is thereby increased.

It is well known that the different issues of magazines and other periodicals vary widely in thickness as the amount of printed material contained therein fluctuates from month to month or week to week. Consequently, this invention becomes particularly advantageous in that a large supply of the wrappers can be made, making sure only that they will accommodate the thickest magazine likely to be published. The wrapper is not only adaptable for use with differing thick ness of the magazine but will contain magazines that vary somewhat in trim size, thereby tremendously decreasing the cost to publishing companies in their wrapping overhead. v

Furthermore, many books and magazines particularly inthe trade paper field, are furnished from time to time with supplements. These supplements are usually inserted between the last page of the publication and the cover or inserted in a pocket provided on the. back cover. Such procedure requires additionalhandling and expense and requires a larger wrapper each time the size ofthe magazineis increased by the addition ofusuch a supplement. 7, Use of my package wrapper, eliminates the need of this extra handling since the supplement. may be bound with the. main issue and the .expa'nsible nature of the wrapper accommodates the extra thickness of the package. 7 I 7 It is notable also that no stiffeners are necessary to protect thejpackage. Itis contemplated that my wrapper may be machine applied in a manner well known in the art As the flaps are tightly drawn together during this machine process, .the, pages of themagazine will be drawn .tightly together, therebycreating its own pro.- tecting stiffness. The containedmagazine will 'in allcases, irrespective ofits size, beheld against shifting in the wrapper, thereby decreasing corner damage as well as folding or bending damage that is common in envelope-type of wrappers or containers.

While but oneform of the invention has been shown and described, it is realized that package wrappers may be made having different physical characteristics without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A package wrapper of the kind described comprising a flat, unfolded sheet of foldable wrapping material having a polygonal portion provided with a number of straight, interconnected edges forming the periphery thereof, a flap extending outwardly from each of said edges, respectively, the width of each of said flaps at the point of merger thereof with the polygonal portion being substantially the same as the length of the corresponding edge, a triangularly-shaped gusset integral with said portion and joining each flap with proximal flaps and disposed at each corner, respectively, of the polygonal portion defined by the interconnection of said straight edges, and an elongated, polygonal portion forming a part of each flap, respectively, and separating the latter from the proximal edges of said first mentioned polygonal portion, the length of each elongated portion being the same as the length of its proximal edge and each end, respectively, thereof joining with one of said gussets, said gussets each having 'a pair of sides converging as the first mentioned polygonal portion is approached, said sides each defining one end of a proximal elongated polygonal portion and being appreciably longer than the same.

J OHN H. ROUSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 963,986 Conley Oct. 12, 1909 1,121,922 Halsey Dec. 22, 1914 1,152,353 Schwerdtle Aug. 31, 1915 1,175,835 Streit; Mar. 14, 1916 2,222,341 'Stuhlman Nov. 19, I940 

